1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of modular assemblies, and more particularly, relates to a modular assembly structured to assume either a shipping container configuration or a building unit configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Building units are an essential part of everyday life. Houses come in all shapes and sizes, and can be made in various ways from various types of materials. Traditionally, building units are constructed from the ground up in a specific location, for that location. These types of building structures can take weeks or months to construct, requiring many different types of materials and construction phases to complete. Once complete, the building structure remains at its specific location as a then permanent fixture of the landscape.
Recent developments in materials and structural engineering have allowed home builders to construct “mobile” homes: prefabricated, full-sized housing structures that can be transported to a specific location. These mobile homes are assembled in substantial part before being delivered to the specific location. Mobile home transportation requires a “wide-load” configuration involving tractor-trailers as well as lead and follow vehicles. Once at the home site, the mobile home must be furnished and connected to local utilities, such as electrical, water and waste removal systems. The mobile home, once delivered to a specific location, becomes a permanent fixture of the landscape. The advantage to pre-fabricated housing structures lies in the ease of construction. Mobile homes are not constructed at a specific location over weeks or months, but are constructed in a factory, and simply shipped to the specific location. The disadvantages include complex and tenuous transportation.
Portable building units have been around for decades. Lightweight, easily transportable structures provide temporary shelter from the outdoor environment. However, natural disasters and other catastrophes can destroy dwellings, thereby creating a need for fully equipped emergency shelters. These emergency shelters need be easily transported and easily set up in matter of hours. The disadvantages thus far to portable, foldable building units have been numerous: difficult to transport folded configurations; multiple loose panels, multiple unit sections, and difficult hinging and fastening mechanisms; difficult to assemble panels and elements; and a lack of utilities inside the unit. Many recent attempts at portable, foldable building units have led only to exterior structures; once unfolded, the building unit provides a shell dwelling with none of the necessary amenities most homes require. Previous attempts at portable building units have also afforded hard-to-assemble structures that require special tools and sectional construction.
Accordingly, there is a need in the portable building units industry for a modular assembly capable of convenient transport, and ready for easy assembly by as little as one person with no special tools or equipment, and fully equipped with utilities necessary to properly, and immediately, house occupants. The building unit need be large enough to occupy as a dwelling, yet compact and portable enough to be transported to and set up on many different locations. The building unit also need be equipped with utility connections to immediately take advantage of water, sewer, and electrical utilities.